At first, zoo staff at the Oktyabrsky Zoo in the Black Sea resort of Sochi sought a surrogate tiger mother, but they have since filled the position with a Russian dog, the Telegraph reports.

Tallim, a white Swiss Shepherd after whom the female cub was named, feeds and nurtures the cubs. Despite a rocky beginning — the cubs hissed and showed their claws at first — the cubs and their surrogate mother are now all getting along.